![\"outfestlyle1\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/posturemag.com\/online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/08\/outfestlyle1.jpg\")
<\/a>\nStill from LYLE, directed by Stewart Thorndike.<\/p>\n
Those familiar with Rosemary\u2019s Baby will recognize many of Lyle\u2019s narrative parallels, but that isn\u2019t to say that this contemporary homage strictly follows the storytelling recipe of its predecessor, for Thorndike cleverly reimagines certain motifs that offer the film a sufficient degree of unpredictability. Her razor-sharp camerawork is marvelously withholding: for it\u2019s what you don\u2019t see that adds to the film\u2019s palpable tension and escalating sense of unease. Yet above all, it\u2019s Hoffman\u2019s deadpan performance and visceral poker-faced resoluteness that shines; effectively sparing the film from entering campy territory. Her emotional heft is versatile and nothing short of engrossing, as she offers a balanced tone that deliciously borders on paranoid hysteria in the blink of an eye.<\/p>\n
Clocking in at just under 65 minutes, this barely-feature-length art-house horror flick makes impressive use of its low budget and limited resources, crafting an unsettling tale of mistrust, fear and suspicion that\u2019s surprisingly engaging and satisfying. And for those of you who prefer to experience Lyle\u2019s atmospheric paranoia right from your own home, delight in the news that this moody slice of terror is now available to stream for FREE on your computer.<\/p>\n
Foregoing traditional distribution methods, Demi Kampakis: Congrats on the success of Lyle! On the day of its NYC screening at NewFest, the theater was absolutely packed to the point where people had to actually sit on the floors and stairs! <\/strong><\/p>\n Stewart Thorndike:<\/strong> [chuckles] Yeah, it\u2019s really amazing that our little film was embraced with such a positive reception. It\u2019s a real dream.<\/p>\n DK: What first drew you to genre films, and what is it about horror specifically that appeals to you?<\/strong><\/p>\n ST:<\/strong> My background in photography and fine arts definitely fostered my attraction for genre films\u2014especially horror\u2014because they allow for great stylistic expression. To me, horror isn\u2019t about violent gore, but rather about supernatural elements and the psychological implications. The experimental nature of horror films can be a sensual experience for audiences, and I love how each film is able to convey a very particular world.<\/p>\n DK: As a filmmaker, had you always been drawn to the niche of female-driven horror, or to queer genre films?<\/strong><\/p>\n ST:<\/strong> Hm, I don\u2019t think I ever thought particularly about either. I always liked horror\u2014not the horror that\u2019s around now with all this sadism stuff\u2014but classics like The Haunting. Yet with female horror, there really isn\u2019t much of it\u2014at least not enough that I can remember being drawn to it specifically. I would love to see more if it done though [chuckles].<\/p>\n DK: I must admit that prior to LYLE, I hadn\u2019t really heard the term \u2018female-focused horror\u2019 being used. What does that term mean to you?<\/strong><\/p>\n ST:<\/strong> Well actually, when I first made LYLE I didn\u2019t realize that the types of films I would be making were going to be considered niche or unique, and I also didn\u2019t know that there were no women making horror, until people started pointing it out. So I stopped and I thought about it, and I could only count like 2 or 3 mainstream horror films that were female directed\u2014I don\u2019t even think you can consider American Psycho since it doesn\u2019t have any supernatural motifs\u2014so the term was created as a way to say \u201cboys aren\u2019t the only ones who should be doing it\u201d [chuckles]. It simply means having a female lead, and having a female voice behind the story.<\/p>\n I thought it was interesting in LYLE how there was an older woman who was interested in getting pregnant. The women in the audience knew of course that she was too old to have a child, but it can be less obvious for men to catch these nuances. So it\u2019s important to preserve those female experiences that haven\u2019t really stayed in horror films. DK: How did you come up with the idea to use female babies? Was that an intentional gender re-appropriation, or did it just happen to fall into place once you finished writing?<\/strong><\/p>\n ST:<\/strong> No I definitely thought about it! It was even a joke in my head, like \u201cthe devil is sexist\u201d [laughs]. You think about the first-born son all the time, and I thought \u201cAny need for a first-born daughter, even within the supernatural? I mean, I know we want virgins, but why not a virgin first-born daughter?\u201d I definitely got excited while writing, because I wanted some kind of [social] commentary on boys being more valued than girls, even in the eyes of the devil.<\/p>\n DK: How was the story for this film first conceived [no pun intended]? Did you have Rosemary\u2019s Baby in mind when writing the screenplay, or did you notice the parallels once you had finished drafting the script?<\/strong><\/p>\n ST:<\/strong> It was the latter; you know the funny story is I was actually dating Ingrid Jungermann at the time (June). We were going through a hard time, and I was pissed at her once while I was in the shower and she was off somewhere. I really wanted to have a kid, and she didn\u2019t, so I remember thinking \u201cShe\u2019s bad\u2026she\u2019s stopping me from having my babies!\u201d And then I had this whole story that kind of just came into my head, so I quickly got out of the shower and jotted everything down. It was when I took a look at my notes that I realized, \u201cOh, I\u2019ve just written Rosemary\u2019s Baby!\u201d I kind of cued that \u2018badabump!\u2019 drumroll in my head, and thought how cool it was that what I had written was a totally different perspective, yet still maintained that idea of someone stopping you from having a baby.<\/p>\n DK: Considering that the concept for LYLE was originally developed as a 9-part web series, what made you ultimately want to present its story in film form?<\/strong><\/p>\n ST:<\/strong> Well, I was trying to make my first feature a genre film also with female leads, and at that time we went through the traditional fundraising route. We had a really great cast and crew attached, who were ready to go thinking that we had the money, but somehow it all fell through which was really devastating. At this time, I was still with Ingrid, and I would just look at her while she kept churning out all this creative productivity on her own terms, and finally I thought, \u201cWell I\u2019m going to do that!\u201d<\/p>\n Meanwhile, I also had my story for LYLE, which I had written as a low budget feature to make. Having already known Gaby by this point, I said to her, \u201cWell why not just do a web series? I don\u2019t want to sit around and ask for anyone\u2019s permission, or try to find money from people who aren\u2019t going to get it.\u201d At least with a web series you\u2019re allowed to be a bit \u2018scrappier\u2019 and condense the story. However, once we finished shooting and I saw the footage, I realized it was a bit better than I had anticipated for the amount of money we made it for. Not to mention that it worked better to see the story as one discreet unit, you know? With horror you kind of just want to go into it 100 percent, so we were inspired to shoot a few more days, and the idea for a trilogy came later.<\/p>\n DK: How did you first reach out to Gaby Hoffman for this film?<\/strong><\/p>\n ST:<\/strong> Well I had known her socially a bit, and I had really wanted to work with her, so I decided to reach out to her when writing LYLE. We were discussing the film during the first time we hung out alone, and I remember her scratching her head saying \u201cWell I don\u2019t get why people have to die.\u201d She wasn\u2019t really into horror [chuckles], but she was totally game and a complete trooper. I mean, she really is such a brilliant artist.<\/p>\n DK: Definitely. The range of emotions she provides with her face is completely absorbing, so much so that you can\u2019t help but feel her paranoia.<\/strong><\/p>\n ST:<\/strong> Yes!<\/p>\n DK: I love how you chose to self-distribute the film, opting for the \u2018content accessibility route\u2019 over conventional distribution and profit. Your option to allow the film to stream for free really embodies this grassroots spirit of indie filmmaking that to some extent creates a collective cinematic community. In light of all the positive film festival feedback for LYLE, what prompted you to make this risky fiscal decision? <\/strong><\/p>\n ST:<\/strong> The incredible response definitely made me doubt the \u2018online for free\u2019 strategy, because I now had an inbox full of all these interested distributors! I basically bankrupted myself making this movie, and it was really hard to turn down the possibility of maybe making some money back from it. But that was never really the spirit of why we made this film; and I\u2019ve seen so many films go to Sundance and do really well in the festival circuit, but just kind of sit in that distribution limbo. And maybe they do get distribution, but you kind of didn\u2019t see their movies, or you have to wait a year, etc. etc. I never wanted that, and I was tired of sitting in meetings with people who didn\u2019t know what to do with my work\u2014because I mean, outside of the gay and female domains, my work is a bit more art-house horror. I don\u2019t know, my tone is weird and I\u2019m kind of doing something different (at least that\u2019s what people tell me), so I just wanted to see if maybe there was a new way of viewership that would work.<\/p>\n DK: And it did! In fact, when I was first researching this film before NewFest, the only information I had to go by was a synopsis on The Film Society of Lincoln Center\u2019s lineup, and one brief clip provided by The Hollywood Reporter\u2014I couldn\u2019t even find a trailer! But ever since its success at these festivals, I\u2019ve come across countless pages of articles on Google with trailers, clips, reviews, anything and everything. Do you think that the greater audience awareness and appreciation afforded by the \u2018stream for free\u2019 option can be more gratifying than profit? <\/strong><\/p>\n ST:<\/strong> It\u2019s really great to hear about that change in audience trend from your perspective, because from my end I\u2019m like, \u201cDid we just make a huge mistake?\u201d Because now we\u2019re kind of solely counting on crowdfunding for our next film, but it\u2019s only been day two so we\u2019ll see.. [chuckles]<\/p>\n DK: Have we entered a new autonomous age of indie filmmaking and distribution, and if so do you think these platforms will ever cross over and gain momentum in the mainstream?<\/strong><\/p>\n ST:<\/strong> I think there has to be a change, because the current model isn\u2019t working. In terms of how that is going to shake into studio films, I can\u2019t say for sure but I think that the whole system will need to be questioned. I don\u2019t know\u2026maybe there\u2019s some way for artists to come together to collectively promote their films, and take control over where their work will be seen and how.<\/p>\n I feel like in other art forms there\u2019s less of a pressure for moneymaking. Like it\u2019s weird that what I make is the same as Transformers [chuckles], yet it\u2019s also a billion dollar business. I just wish that there were more independent theaters, you know?<\/p>\n DK: One of the reasons the film works so well is that it\u2019s able to seamlessly incorporate genuinely funny moments with deadpan emotion and biting suspense. Is it difficult to navigate humor in a thriller film without undermining its cerebral gravitas, or making it seem campy?<\/strong><\/p>\n ST:<\/strong> Well I think anything that\u2019s good\u2014whether it is a book or a film\u2014has some type of humor in it\u2026basically anything that examines the human condition will always be funny. But yes, it can definitely be hard sometimes to achieve a level of \u2018funny\u2019 when you\u2019re trying really hard to be real and true, while also straining to avoid any campiness. It can be stressful to reach that \u2018pitch perfect\u2019 level where the tone is just right.<\/p>\n DK: But that is exactly why Hoffman is so perfect for the role!<\/strong><\/p>\n ST:<\/strong> I agree. What\u2019s so great about her as an actor is that she believes everything she says, and she says it with heart.<\/p>\n DK: In addition to the camerawork, your film makes use of some impressive stylistic techniques, such as the use of a Skype split screen (complete with that frustrating connection lag) and beautiful CGI footage of a fetus in utero. Had you strongly collaborated with your cinematographer and\/or DP when envisioning these visual elements?<\/strong><\/p>\n ST:<\/strong> Well I have a certain style where I like a lot of movement, even if it\u2019s strange movement. My DP was amazing; he would throw light around in a way that made everything look more beautiful than I could\u2019ve dreamed of. He\u2019s also a friend of mine, so even though we didn\u2019t have much time to collaborate it was easy to communicate with him and throw our ideas around. By no means did we spend days storyboarding that look; it was basically a style that was natural to the movie.<\/p>\n DK: And with the camerawork, it was more of what you don\u2019t see that added to the tension.<\/strong><\/p>\n ST:<\/strong> I love dance, and I always think of the camera as this organic entity that\u2019s experiencing something itself. That\u2019s not to say that it functions like a character, but it nonetheless provides its own emotion.<\/p>\n DK: I have to ask, where did you find the baby who played Lyle?! Not only does she have a face that was made for the camera, but she seemed so well-behaved and poised during her scenes. It was difficult to take your eyes off her whenever she was onscreen! <\/strong><\/p>\n ST:<\/strong> I love that baby! I actually knew her mother, who is also an actress. It\u2019s funny because you wouldn\u2019t think that you would have to cast babies like you would adults, so at first I thought any toddler would do. But after meeting with some, I would be like \u201cNo, no, no.\u201d They would be all girly, or have such curly angelic hair, or something like that. But the baby playing Lyle was perfect! So I guess it isn\u2019t true that a baby is just a baby [chuckles]. I ended up being surprisingly picky.<\/p>\n DK: Between the film\u2019s self-distribution, female-centric representation, and diverse perspectives; would you consider yourself a maverick filmmaker? I know this is a difficult question for someone to answer about themselves, but would you at least consider this to be a maverick film\u2014especially since there aren\u2019t as many opportunities for female filmmakers in the industry, particularly in Hollywood. Okay, maybe \u2018cinematic trendsetter\u2019 is a better term..<\/strong><\/p>\n ST: I don\u2019t know, I haven\u2019t really thought about that [laughs]. But listen, I like being called a maverick [chuckles] but I wouldn\u2019t necessarily describe myself as that. I just feel like there\u2019s one way to do things: my way.<\/p>\n DK: It\u2019s always refreshing to see queer films like LYLE, where sexual and gender identity aren\u2019t the narrative focal points, but instead serve auxiliary roles. Do you think there\u2019s a lack of such films within the LGBTQ community, and if so are we moving towards more \u2018normalized\u2019 films where sexuality doesn\u2019t serve a social purpose, but rather functions like a narrative tapestry?<\/strong><\/p>\n ST:<\/strong> I definitely hope that we\u2019re moving towards this trend. I personally can\u2019t really relate to movies about people having a hard time being gay; I know they\u2019re important, but it\u2019s not an experience that I had to go through or relate with too much. For me, I would just rather see more films where that representation is more normalized because it\u2019s important to show these characters as regular people who are a part of society; who have stories and struggles that are universal; instead of presenting it as though their sexuality is the only thing they think about all day long. We just need to be okay with our differences, and move on.<\/p>\n Plus, I never really have a political agenda at all\u2014I just want to tell my stories. I date guys and girls, but when I want a film to be the most romantic, or the scariest, or the most emotional, I usually make it about two women. To me, women are the bigger, more complicated, emotional love.<\/p>\n DK: Since LYLE is the first in a trilogy of female-driven horror films, can you tell us a little bit about your next film \u201cPutney\u201d, in which you\u2019re currently doing the Kickstarter campaign for? <\/strong><\/p>\n ST:<\/strong> It\u2019s a haunted TED Talk. It\u2019s about this woman who gets inspired by this TED Talk about being vulnerable and connectivity, and decides to take her girlfriend\u2014they\u2019re having problems\u2014and their estranged best friend to the hotel her mom used to run that\u2019s now closed down for a couple of seasons. The strange best friend brings along an uninvited guest who ends up kind of ruining the special reunion. It gets weirder and weirder once they get up there. She injures her leg, and they kind of start to get bad advice from the TED Talk and how to handle this problem. At this point things only get stranger for our main character, and their situation turns to horror really fast. It gets bad [chuckles].<\/p>\n *Lyle is available to stream for free here<\/a> now, and if you like what you see you can also make a donation to Putney\u2019s Kickstarter campaign<\/a>. For a little taste of what\u2019s in store, check out Lyle\u2019s chilling trailer below:<\/p>\n<\/a> Thorndike and Lyle producer Alex Scharfman have chosen to self-distribute the film, offering viewers the chance to stream the film for free on its official website* starting August 4th, coinciding with the duration of their Kickstarter campaign for Putney, Thorndike\u2019s second film in a trilogy of female-focused art-house horror. The decision to stream Lyle for free is part of the filmmaker\u2019s mission to reach a broader audience for female-centric genre films, with the hope that those who enjoyed Lyle will feel inspired to support Putney\u2019s Kickstarter campaign by donating. Fresh off the film\u2019s festival success, I had the chance to interview Thorndike\u2014and was eager to pick her brain on the filming of Lyle, the future of self-distribution, and the need for more female driven horror.<\/p>\n
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\nDK: Speaking of, I love how your film reimagines the terror away from the hetero-normative realm, and cleverly re-appropriates the common male first-born motif through the use of female infants\u2026<\/strong>
\nST:<\/strong> \u2026I\u2019m glad you picked up on that, because many people don\u2019t [chuckles].<\/p>\n